NRA, Not Second Amendment, is Under Attack
The Claim
New York State attorney general Letitia James is conducting an attack on gun rights in the United States.
News posted on
Emerging story
When AG Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the NRA on August 6, 2020 many took to social media to declare it to be the first step in a downward spiral that will ultimately lead to the annihilation of American gun rights. Amongst these denouncers are several high-profile politicians, including President Trump who has included firearm rights in his platform since his 2016 presidential campaign. The NRA themselves have obviously been starkly opposed to this lawsuit.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that the lawsuit is not aimed at gun rights themselves, nor should it affect them; it is directed specifically at the alleged corruption within the NRA.
Founded in 1871 as an indirect result of the American Civil War, the NRA claims to be the longest standing civil rights group in the United States. Since the mid-twentieth century the NRA has become more and more involved in U.S. politics, creating the Institute for Legislative Action (1975) in order to have a greater influence on government policies. With the power of their impressive membership and funding pool the NRA has successfully lobbied for slack gun regulation on both state and federal levels. As a result of their aggressive and outspoken lobbying, many gun advocates have come to see the NRA as synonymous with the Second Amendment (which grants the right to “keep and bear arms”).
In the United States, where firearms are considered to be culturally essential by many citizens, an attack on the NRA has been seen as an attack on gun rights itself. Due to an alarming rise in school shootings and other gun violence during the past decade, some gun control advocates have pushed harder to ensure that guns cannot be easily obtained, while others have stated that guns should be outright illegal for citizens to own. The result has been one of the most heated ongoing debates in American politics.
Mismanagement, under-qualified leadership, unauthorized spending, and a general lack of adequate oversight have all been cited as reasons for legal intervention. According to inside sources from the NRA, the organization has been plagued by “secrecy, self-dealing, and greed.” Top NRA staff; including Wayne LaPierre, Wilson Phillips, Joshua Powell, and John Frazer have all faced accusations of the aforementioned unethical and illegal actions.
